There is an increased emphasis on self awareness and self care in counselling and psychotherapy training, with a focus on how the therapist as a person affects the therapeutic outcome. This timely book responds to these complex issues and is designed to help counselling students, trainees and graduates with integrating their personal development into their professional planning. There are chapters on bringing the Self into therapy, choosing the right training and how to succeed as an accredited practitioner. Activities and research summaries throughout give this book a fully-integrated approach ideal for busy students.

Introduction

What is Personal Development?

The 'Good Enough' Therapist

Trust and Support for Personal and Professional Growth

The Anatomy of Healing

Theory and The Therapist as a Person

Accountability and Transparency

Marie Adams

Placing Ourselves in Context: Research as a Personal Narrative

Beverley Costa

A Therapeutic Journey Across Cultural and Linguistic Borderlands

Being a Listener with a Voice

Taking Charge of Your Own Learning and Development

Conclusion

Personal development is an ongoing process for practitioners and this book provides practical guidance and activities to enable the process.

This book is invaluable for all students embarking on their training to becoming counsellors and psychotherapists. It highlights the importance of Personal Development as an integral part of being a counsellor and shows how theory links to practice. The case studies and activities promote reflection and assist students in their personal development process.

Students particularly enjoy the case studies and linking the theory to practice. Personal development is key to any career and students are encouraged to reflect on their own personal development throughout the course. This book provides a variety of reflection points and activities that engage students in their own learning process. The reflection points can also be used by lecturers during class to focus students' learning.

As personal development is an essential part of the leaning via the courses we deliver this book has been recommended for students. Many of the exercises from the book are planned into self-awareness sessions on the scheme of work

Excellent and very clear text introducing students to the idea of personal development. Easy to follow, with suggested activities which really do assist the reader in getting to grips with this sometimes hazy topic.

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Sofie Bager-Charleson

Sofie Bager-Charleson is a psychotherapist, supervisor and writer. She draws from psychoanalytic, existential and cognitive behavioural theory with a particular interest in postmodern influences on therapy. She holds a PhD from Lund University in Sweden, where she specialised in attachment issues within families and reflective practice amongst teachers. She writes both fiction and non-fiction. She works as the Director of Studies on the MPhil/PhD at Metanoia Institute and Module Leader on the DPsych. She runs workshops and courses in therapeutic practice, reflective and creative writing, in both Sweden and England. More About Author